I may be Wario's number one fan, despite his terrible garlic smell and stinky farts. I thought it was so great that one of the first DSi downloadable games would be a WarioWare title. Without a doubt, a cool WarioWare game would entice people to get a DSi; they're usually fun games and, on top of that, this one makes use of the camera. So what's not to like? Why was it a recipe for disaster?

First and foremost, the game doesn't work. You start by picking one of the four available categories or rollercoaster rides hosted by Wario and his friends. Then, you're supposed to look towards the camera and let it snap a picture of you. (Cheeeeeese!) The game seems to study the background and lighting conditions in order to calibrate accordingly or maybe it just takes a picture, plain and simple. In any case, the next step is playing five mini-games. Before each game, it asks you to position yourself matching the silhouettes on the screen. Then, you'll be asked to do random things like swat a fly, stick two fingers in someone's nose, grab the coins, blow away a person, give a massage, fill up a glass of water, etc.

This probably sounds familiar, and even though the games are not the same as the ones found in previous WarioWare titles, they are certainly similar. The only difference is the controls. Instead of using the stylus or controller buttons, you'll be doing different motions in front of the camera. When they work, these mini-games are very easy, and if you're not worried about being seen waving your arms in the air or wildly shaking your head, you could have a blast. As you know, these are typical WarioWare affairs, so you shouldn't be surprised by its wackiness by now. What was indeed surprising is the fact that the game barely works.

I first tested it in the airplane, trying to play when the stewardesses weren't looking. Many (but not all) mini-games seemed to give me the green light on the first try, so I thought it only had a slight problem due to the lighting circumstances within the aircraft. However, every time I've tried to play it after that, whether it was inside a building or outside, I've had more problems than I had anticipated. I've moved the DSi in different positions and tried diverse lighting conditions, background colors, and textures. Unfortunately, no matter where I go, I always get the same iffy results. Sometimes it identifies my silhouette and lets me play, and other times, frequently mid-game, it decides to time out without ever recognizing my face and/or hands. This makes it very frustrating and truly not worthwhile.

If you're lucky enough to make it work and play all five mini-games in a row, there's a nice surprise at the end. It will either play a goofy video of you doing all the different motions or a slideshow full of compromising pictures you might want to hide away from people. This was actually really funny, and I couldn't wait to make my friends play and then upload the videos to YouTube. Unfortunately for me and luckily for them, this is not an option. In fact, you can't save the videos or slideshows at all; it only remembers the last video that was recorded, and once you exit the game or simply close the lid, the video is going bye-bye.